Speaking of the craft column. You might find a little surprise if you head on over and see the new issue. Ok, you will find a surprise...

I'm the new craft editor/resident crafter!

In this issue, (the Journeys Issue), I'll teach you how to make an experience journal from supplies you probably already have laying around the house. I created a travel journal, but you can customize it to reflect any journey you want to keep mementos and notes from. It would be really great for keeping track of your year with 12 envelopes for mementos and lots of pages for goals and journaling.

This was a really fun journal to make because we had just returned from our Austin trip and I had a lot of fun pictures and stories to tell. I also took the time to add all of the trips that Sheldon and I have taken together over the last 3 years to it. It was exciting to comb through all the little mementos I kept from our first trip to Vegas, our first road trip to Louisiana, and our Honeymoon. There's also plenty of room for future journeys we take together. Here are some more photos:

Tips: - Use what you have! Most of the pages in my journal are from printed commission packets from work that are one-sided. I use them for everything and I get a huge stack of them each month. - Mix it up by adding in interesting papers from kids writing/drawing tablets and ledgers (both of which I always find at thrift stores but are available at Target and WalMart too). - Envelopes and pockets add interest and allow you to add mementos you don't want to use glue on.

I'm sharing my tutorial for ombre nails over on Amy's summer blog party today! Her blog party is going on all week and so far, the posts have been great! My pal, erika shared the yummiest recipe for mini key lime cakes yesterday that I'm going to have to try out soon. Erika is also doing something fun this week! She's celebrating pink week on her blog pinksuedeshoe. There's even a pink giveaway.

Special thanks to my friend (and fellow nail polish addict) Tisha for being my hand model for this post. It's really difficult to take photos with wet nails, so she saved me!

I've done this manicure a couple of times and thought it was time to share my knowledge with the masses so try it out and let me know what you think! I would love to see what color you try it with.

For those of you that really want the specifics of the supplies I used in the post. I'll share them here. Nail Color - Ulta Creme Salon Formula Nail Laquer in Eye Popping PoppyWhite Nail Polish - Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear in White OnI say to use nail polish remover for cleaning your brush in the post, but to be truthful that only works a little bit. If you're going to be using this technique a lot and want a flawless brush cleaner get thee to Sally Beauty Supply and pick up some nail brush cleaner. It's my new favorite thing.

On a completely random side note: You all know my new last name is Beach, right? Whenever Sheldon's family all gets together, one of the siblings inevitably yells out "It's a party Beaches!" So now every time someone talks about a party I want to yell out "It's a party Beaches!" No one else gets the joke so I can't, but I ALWAYS want to haha.

We have a new niece who is named Olive and her mom has been asking me to design some cute clothing with the theme of olives for her for a while now. Since Valentine's day is less than a month away, I decided she needed an "Olive Ewe" onesie for the holiday and designed this pattern for her.

Obviously, this doesn't only have to be used on onesies. You can embroider it on anything to give to a loved one.

Keep it in the hoop or frame it to give as an art piece.

Or get crazy and embroider a card for your special someone.

Here are some tips for embroidering on card stock:

Pre-poke your holes with a sharp needle making sure not to poke them any closer than an 1/8th of an inch. I use a t-pin for this because it doesn't hurt my fingers in the process and it makes the right sized hole for the needle I use.

Very carefully use the holes like you would a sewing card. Skip the satin stitch because those stitches have to be made too close together. The trick here is to keep from creasing or tearing your paper. If you've used a thick enough card stock and didn't punch your holes too close together this shouldn't be a problem.

I use tape on the back to hold down my ends so there are no bumpy knots.

I don't recommend using painter's tape, I just wanted you to be able to see the tape. You can cover the inside with a complementary paper after you've finished to clean it up a bit too!

Last year, Sheldon and I started the fun tradition taking a ridiculous Christmas card photo.

This year, while shopping at target, we found Dewey a santa hat with beard and Bella an antler cap. Then we had the awesome idea to dress as elves. Sheldon immediately wanted to go look at tights. That's why I love my husband, he's as quirky as me! We almost decided against the photo this year because of losing Bella, but it brings us joy. So this past week, I made our costumes and turned the dining room in to a winter wonderland with Elf inspired paper chains and snowflakes. And we added Bella to the tree so she could still be part of the photo.

(this isn't our actual card photo. It's so much better than this. I'll show that later. I want our recipients to be surprised)

So here's where the elf "yourself" comes into play! The wonderful Michelle Clement of Scissor Quirk asked me to be a part of her blog party yesterday and today to celebrate the release of her new blog design (which looks wonderful btw)! So hop on over there and see my tutorial on how to make these fun Elf inspired aprons! If you make one I would LOVE to see it!

Wait...that's not all! I also put together an Elf hat tutorial for you as well. Just add tights and a goofy grin.

Updated 6/21/2011 with full tutorial

Last year my then fiance and I started the tradition of taking a ridiculous photo for our Christmas cards. This year, we brainstormed for months and finally decided on an Elf inspired photo shoot, as a tribute to our favorite holiday movie.Instead of making full costumes I decided to make us elf inspired aprons and I am going to show you how to make your own today! These would be perfect for a party, making holiday meals, or taking fun photos, of course. First, gather some supplies. The body of the apron will need to be felt from the bolt, but the other colors can be 9x12 sheets if you have limited color options on the bolt. If you don't have a sewing machine, don't worry! These can easily be sewn by hand or even glued if you needed to. Trace around an apron you already have to make your pattern. The aprons can be as simple or fancy as you want to make them. You can see a big difference between our aprons. For my pockets, I used a pocket pattern I had from a dress pattern in my stash. Use your resources or free hand it, felt is really forgiving so you can trim it until it looks right.Pin everything in place before you sew it together. This is also a great time to try it on and make sure everything is in the right spot. Sew it all up. You can use a fabric glue too if you don't sew.

Complete any final touches, you could add some embroidery or beading if you wanted to get really glitzy. Have fun and make it your own!